| I spent an hour recently listening to a young woman | | | | present and future you're inhibiting yourself and |
| talking about all of the changes she wants in her life. | | | | blocking your path to success and happiness. A client |
| She wants to wake up earlier and get a job. She | | | | confessed the other day "I doubt my decisions far too |
| wants to meet new people and begin to wean herself | | | | often. I guess realizing this is the first step to me having |
| off of her old, less healthy friends. And she wants to | | | | faith in myself." It IS simple," she said, " but really scary." |
| get healthier physically and mentally. She was full of | | | | We're taught at an early age that if we're confident |
| ideas and plans for accomplishing her many goals and | | | | then we're arrogant. |
| then said, "These are big changes I want." "Yeah," I | | | | Our time in school, for one example, tends to |
| agreed. There was a long pause, our time was almost | | | | undermine what we learn at home, that we are good |
| up and she admitted, "It's hard to have faith in yourself." | | | | and valuable people. For most people it's during those |
| Often your view of yourself is distorted by how you | | | | school years that you're taught it isn't okay to be |
| think others see you and how you see others. Many | | | | different, that you have to be a part of a group. Belief |
| people are quick to criticize and judge themselves. It's | | | | and faith in yourself isn't valued as important, belief and |
| easy to compare yourself to the people in your life | | | | faith in the group is. By the time you leave high school |
| and to make harsh and unfair judgments about who | | | | you may have developed a sense that you are not as |
| you are. When you have faith and believe in yourself | | | | important as you originally thought. |
| you are willing to face possible criticism or failure. It | | | | Wanting to believe in yourself and realizing that you |
| takes confidence to overcome your doubts and to | | | | need to believe in yourself will get you going in the right |
| stop judging yourself. Faith in yourself will give you the | | | | direction. Facing your fear of failure and learning to not |
| courage to move forward in life and face the | | | | judge yourself will allow you to move closer to your |
| possibilities. | | | | goals and will create the confidence you need to do |
| Many of you have difficulty creating faith in yourself | | | | whatever you want. Developing faith in yourself is one |
| because of your memories of past failures and | | | | of the first steps to personal success. Many years |
| experiences. Old memories can become obstacles to | | | | ago Michelangelo said it very well, "Faith in oneself is |
| new possibilities. When you let your past control the | | | | the best and safest course. |